Ending of the Unwholesome Life

revised on 2019-09-12

---

Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw; 31st October 1961

In the D. A. process, paṭiccasamuppāda is the cause of our khandha. And paṭicca-samuppanna is the result of the khandha. In our khandhas only cause and effect exist. Beings are alive with these two phenomena going on and on. There are two kinds of life; wholesome and unwholesome lives.

A being is alive with feeling if feeling arises; so with craving if craving arises. We are alive with one mind. Without the insight contemplation towards whatever mind arises is alive with ignorance. It’s unwholesome life. Mind is a life faculty; without mind, it is dead. We were growing up from young until now by wasting the rice and increasing the earth.

Therefore all are alive with the unwholesome mind states, after their death, we don't need to make merits for the dead person. It’s only one way to go (to the planes of misery). By contemplation of impermanence of whatever mind arises is living with knowledge and it’s a wholesome life. Can’t contemplate the impermanence of whatever causes arise and will give the results. Don’t pretend to be a moral person.

Differentiate with the wholesome and unwholesome qualities of mind and it becomes clear. Have to differentiate with the types of mind. I’ll give you a vipassanā mirror. Knowing whatever wholesome and unwholesome mind is vipassanā. Don’t be afraid of greed and anger arising. You should be afraid of not knowing them when they arise. In the satipaṭṭhāna sutta, the Buddha did not say to not let them arise, instead to know when they arose.

It is impossible not to let them arise. It will arise as a worldling encounters with sense objects. They arise for the D. A. process. The process will not continue if you follow behind with knowing. You have to make friends with enemies (i.e. with contemplation). In this way the path factors send the dhamma of painful rebirths to Nibbāna (Apāya dhamma becomes Nibbānic dhamma.) So, it's unnecessary to talk about you don’t have anything to contemplate.

I am always reminding you of paying attention to the dhamma. It means contemplate the arising dhamma from behind. Contemplate the preceding mind with the following mind is dhamma attention. Impermanence and magga are paying attention. It’s the same as be mindful and contemplate with paññā. Before is impermanence and follow behind with magga.

If you ask me; “Why the preceding mind is passing away?” Saṅkhāra dhamma has the nature of passing away. If you have doubt why it’s vanishing and knowing it as saṅkhāra dhamma. In the five khandhas whatever arises has to be vanished. Therefore you have to cross into the province of asaṅkhata which is free from the province of saṅkhata.

The province of saṅkhata is always connection with others. With relations to others create mental and physical suffering. (It can be with human, animals and natural surroundings). Asaṅkhata Nibbāna is free from these things and always with happiness. Path factors send to the ending of saṅkhata dhamma.

Form (rūpa) is connection with kamma, mind, temperature and foods. And the mind is with sense objects and sense bases (ārammaṇa and dvāras). Totally being free from these things is without the suffering of mind and body. By seeing the impermanence of the saṅkhata dhamma, its disenchantment and must follow to its ending. And at the time of arriving to the province of asaṅkhata is alive with the asaṅkhata Nibbāna.

If you differentiate yourself as worthy or worthless; following with path factors is worthy and the noble period. And not follow with the path factors is an animal period (moha leads to animal). If you are living with the path factors is an ariyan (noble being).

---

revised on 2019-09-12; cited from https://oba.org.tw/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4091&p=35768#p35768 (posted on 2019-01-14)

---

• Content of Part 7 on "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

---

• Content of "Dhamma Talks by Mogok Sayadaw"

---

• Content of Publications of Ven. Uttamo

---

According to the translator— Ven. Uttamo's words, this is strictly for free distribution only, as a gift of Dhamma—Dhamma Dāna. You may re-format, reprint, translate, and redistribute this work in any medium.